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Aztec on Bloggers: sick, sad, Gonzo-journalist wannabes

Aztec on Bloggers: sick, sad, Gonzo-journalist wannabes

Duncan Riley> Another day, and another attack in the war on blogging. Even though we all know the Aztec civilisation was doomed in 1519, it still provided resistance for a couple of years, and today bloggers take on the role of the Spanish (although does this make Dave Winer Hernan Cortes?).

Opinion Editor at the San Deigo State University newspaper The Daily Aztec, Consuela Headrick, writes in one of the most colourful articles attacking blogging yet that “Blogs infringe on true journalism

What’s notable about the headline and other parts of the article is that in criticising the medium, she makes one of the first concessions from those attacking blogs that blogging is indeed a form of journalism.

She writes that “It seems as though the sick, sad world of blogging has twisted the minds of many Americans”, yes ladies and gentlemen, we are now warping the minds of the masses, but it gets better: “I relate this form of journalism to the out-of-control reality TV occurrence. Blogs are nothing more than a real-life account on what is going on in the world. This “infotainment” element captivates many who are bored with a daily newspaper.”

But apparently all this mischief from the evil bloggers has a reason: “Bloggers are nothing more than Gonzo-journalist wannabes (either with or without the drug haze). Instead of writing their experiences in a literary journalist style and submitting it for possible print publication, bloggers hide behind their computer screens knowing every word they type will be published in an open forum.”

That’s right, its only legitimate to publish if somebody else says it’s so.

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But to her credit, she openly admits the coming conquest by the Spanish bloggers.

“There are a few reasons why the blogging phenomenon has taken hold and is going strong. The accessibility of getting news from a blog is a point-click away. The effort of buying and reading a newspaper has become a chore in a fast-paced life….People are relying on other, regular, everyday Americans to report to them what is going on in the world according to the blogger – leaving the people who were trained for years on the principles of journalism in the dust….People are more interested in reading what their Internet colleagues are reporting or what their opinions of a current issue are instead of reading the “biased” views of print media”.

Whilst I’ve been quick to knock those who so stupidly attack the blogosphere with wet lettuce leaves, I’ve decided to spare Consuela Headrick this time, for she truly deserves our pity instead of our scorn, for despite her insults she at least has the foresight to see the truck that is about to run her over.

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